In the Long Run

For years people have labeled my family as “very competitive”. We accept the perceived negative connotations of this description with long-suffering, because, well, to be truthful, we ARE very competitive. Last week my married son and daughter and their spouses visited for a few days, and the opportunities to compete abounded.

Ping pong grudge matches are a given in our household, and my two sons and my husband whaled on each other with ferocity in several singles games. I played in some combative doubles matches with them myself. I wish I could say genteel manners and courteous conversation mark these ventures. Alas, I must admit that there is a fair amount of good-natured trash talking, power posturing, and in-your-face returns.

My son and my son-in-law, along with two other young men, muscled an orange bed down Main Street in the rodeo bed races. My daughter demurely rode on the bed. All were highly disappointed when they came in second, not first place. Somehow the consoling phrase, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game” sounded bitterly hollow to these passionate competitors.

I introduced several family members to the joys of pickle ball. I remind you that although the name of the game sounds whimsical, pickleball can be a very cutthroat activity. Seven of us played on two courts for nearly three hours. The beginners caught on quickly and played with enthusiasm to exhaustion. A single game turned into best two out of three, then best three out of five, and so on, as everyone insisted on playing on for a personally golden game.

My son and his wife lamented that they had to leave for their 8-hour drive home on Sunday before the final competitive endeavor—Beyond Balderdash. It’s not just in physical contests that we strive with ardent zeal. My youngest son won the board game handily, proving that not only can he destroy aliens in video games, he can also playfully alienate his parents and siblings by destroying them with clever and cunning word play. All of us had moments of brilliance though, and some of the ingenious answers deserve recognition, so for your pleasure, carefully consider which of the following is the true description of Arnold Gingrich. No googling until AFTER you’ve selected an answer.

1. The man who served as the model for Superman in the Marvel comic book series.

2. The first publisher of Esquire magazine.

3. Walked blindfolded across America in a record-breaking 7 months and 11 days.

4. First man to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a hot air balloon.

5. First male gymnast to perform the now standard double gienger on the pommel horse.

Please feel free to let us know which answer you liked best, or even better, which incorrect answer convinced you that it was the right one. (We will turn this blog into a “best answer” competition….!)

Is competition bad? Does it encourage arrogance, selfishness, and a lack of compassion? I suppose in many cases it may. In my family, though, most of our competitive activities provide a setting that uniquely unites us, even as we strive to “one up” one another. We know each other better for having faced each other in keen competition. We enjoy the rivalry when we match our brawn and our brains against each other. We readily admit that endorphins and success are quite satisfactory and heady feelings. In the long run, it is for these reasons that we play competitively, and for the sheer delight and satisfaction of using our bodies and minds effectively…..table tennis, anyone?

Posted by Cyppy at 8:29 PM